Last month we discussed how the most successful donor acquisition campaigns not only grab people’s attention with compelling imagery to collect a name and encourage monthly giving, but are transparent, too.   (Read Top 5 Ways for Non-profits to Increase Donorship.)

At FrontGate, we have proven repeatedly that building dedicated, engaged donors is about relationship and accessibility.

Here are 5 more things that successful donor campaigns do to increase giving and maintain long term donors.

1. THEY GO MOBILE!  Mobile apps have overtaken internet usage in the US.   Non-profits must provide apps and donation forms that work well on iPhone and Android to literally be in the hands of the majority of Americans. The Jesus Film Media app has now had over 133,570 app downloads which started from our launch campaign.

jesusfilmmedia

2. THEY SIMPLIFY AND REDUCE.  Less is more, right?  This is especially true on your donation page.  Distance the distractions of search boxes and navigation tools, or better yet, remove them entirely.  Potential donors don’t want to give away a lot of information or spend a lot of time trudging through extra details.  Keep the imagery simple and consistent with your campaign. Reduce your data collection fields to the bare necessity.  Make it easy to give.

compassionintl

 

3. THEY USE LEVELS.  Offering suggested donation amounts increases the average online gift size and leads to improved donation form performance.  Provide clickable options rather than asking people to type in an amount.  This tends to help people give more than they would if they are required to choose their own amount out of the blue.  Be sure to have an “Other” amount category, for those who choose to give a different amount.

 

seedcompany

 

4. THEY BRAND IT! Keeping your colors, copy, and imagery consistent with your brand standards builds trust and confidence.  Strong branding is especially important on the donor page, where donors want to know it’s you, and be certain they are in the right place.  This security increases the likelihood of transaction completion.

purehope

 

 

5. THEY MAKE IT EASY TO OPT-IN.  If someone has clicked through to your donor page, pulled out a credit card, and decided to give you money, it is very likely they will be open to hearing from you again.  Give him or her a way to stay in touch by providing a place to choose future communication from you.  This builds long term relationships and donor loyalty, and provides a way to spread the word.  Plus, it helps people see how their donations are impacting the world in the long run.